This invention relates generally to windows and, more specifically, to an automatic skylight mountable in the roof of a home.
Skylight windows are known to the art. Generally such windows are flamed into the roof of a house at the time of new home construction. Most of the conventional skylights have manual opening systems. A crank handle, as provided with conventional casement windows, is rotated to open the skylight to allow in fresh air or provide ventilation. Since conventional skylights are mounted high in the ceiling, an elongated rod or the like is used to access the crank handle. This method of opening a skylight window is cumbersome and discourages the homeowner from using the ventilation features of the conventional casement style skylight.
There are other drawbacks associated with conventional casement style skylights. First, they are generally mounted in a substantial casement frame that rises above the profile of the roof. This design makes the skylight window particularly conspicuous and unsightly. Second, such windows are prone to leaks. Indeed, one of the reasons that these windows employ the high profile casement is to prevent pooling of water over the window and help prevent leaking. Finally, conventional casement windows are difficult and time consuming to retrofit in an existing home. They require substantial modification of the roof line. Furthermore, if the skylight is mounted in a roof having substantial pitch and attic space, a tunnel or conduit of some sort must be constructed from the skylight to the ceiling of the room over which it is mounted. This requires that walls be constructed and finished to form an aesthetically pleasing structure visible from the room. This procedure is labor intensive and increases the cost of mounting the skylight in the roof. Furthermore, retrofitting with a skylight increases the risks of leaking around the window.
Sunroofs or moon roofs for automobiles also are known. These particular roofs basically are windows mounted in the automobile roof to allow in more light and, in the case where the window opens, additional ventilation. Automobile sun roofs are provided in manual opening or "pop-up" styles as well as a powered style. The "pop-up" style has a hinge mechanism and one side of the pane lifts up to create an opening for ventilation, The powered design employs a small electric motor that moves the window pane into a tilted position for slight ventilation or moves the pane completely out of the frame to provide a larger open space above the driver and passengers. Such roofs or, more accurately, such window assemblies generally are provided as a kit having a mounting frames, movable pane, motor drive, drainage system and trim. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and operate automatically to provide good ventilation. In short, they have all the attributes desirable in a roof mounted skylight for a building. Heretofore, no one has been able to properly retrofit such an automobile type sunroof into the ceiling of a house or other building. Since the roof of a house, for example, has a significantly greater material thickness than an automobile roof, it was, up to this time, virtually impossible simply to mount a sliding window or automobile-type sun roof in a house. The material thickness of the roof of the building interferes with the operation of the sliding window. That is, there is not enough clearance to allow the window pane to slide under the roof into an open position. This arrangement also places the thickness of the wood and shingles below the roof line allowing water to pool in the skylight hole.